The Kannada actor is now debuting in Tollywood with ‘Rudra’, a film that revolves around human trafficking.
Published Nov 29, 2022 | 9:14 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 29, 2022 | 9:14 PM
Kushee Ravi is all set for her Telugu debut with 'Rudra' alongside actor-producer Bhargava Poludasu. (iamkusheeraviofficial/Facebook)
Kushee Ravi made a phenomenal debut as Dia Swaroop in the Kannada hit film, Dia (2020). Soon, a host of opportunities knocked on her doors. She has two more films set for theatrical release, including one in Telugu.
Her latest Kannada venture — Spooky College, a psychological suspense thriller — is hitting the screens in the next few days.
In an exclusive interview with South First, actor Kushee Ravi talks about her upcoming films, her Telugu debut, and much more.
“It was not just a great experience working for Dia but the success also brought immense appreciation for my work. The same brought me promising projects,” the actor said.
“Post the success of Dia in Kannada, it was eventually dubbed in Telugu, too. And it received a good response from the audience there. The makers of my debut Telugu project had seen the dubbed version of Dia and approached me for Rudra,” she revealed.
Kushee Ravi made a mark in Sandalwood with her debut ‘Dia’. (iamkusheeraviofficial/Facebook)
Rudra is a story about human trafficking, with elements of a suspense thriller. Actor-producer Bhargava Poludasu of Gatham (2020) fame is playing the lead actor in it.
“After Dia, I did a music video for Siddhu Kumar which was performed by Vineet Sreenivasan and Sivangi. It was well received by the viewers with more than a million views on YouTube,” Kushee reminisced.
Though there were many offers, she has been looking out for performance-oriented roles. “It was when that I heard the Rudra script. I felt it was nice since it was different and unique,” she said.
“Though I cannot speak Telugu fluently, I could manage because of its similarity to the Kannada dialect. However, I am not dubbing my voice. I would love to do so in future after I sharpen my language skills.”
The film industry has always been accused of being biased when it comes to casting married actresses in lead roles. But Kushee Ravi, a mother of a girl child, broke the barriers with her acting skills.
Kushee plays a college girl her in next release in Kannada, Spooky College. The psychological horror thriller is made under the banner of Sree Devi Entertainers which is known for producing Rangitaranga, Katha Sangama, and Avane Srimannarayana.
Kushee Ravi in her upcoming movie ‘Spooky College’. (iamkusheeraviofficial/Facebook)
“I am looking forward to the release of Spooky College which is well-made with lots of surprise elements in it. The film was shot in a 103-year-old building in Dharwad — KCD. It dates back to the pre-independence era,” she explained.
“In short, it is about a college girl who has a certain past attached to her, and how she deals with it is the gist of the horror movie.”
“To make it a brilliant spooky venture, the makers put in their best effort with a pool of excellent talent and I hope that the audience will like it too,” Kushee added.
The actor has completed shooting for her Kannada film Nakshe, and is gearing up for its release. She has in her kitty four more movies which will be announced soon.
Her natural acting skills in Dia even drew the attention of acclaimed Tamil director Bharathiraja. “Bharathiraja sir called me after watching Dia. I went to Chennai to meet him. It was such a great feeling to be recognised solely for the work.”
“Even Power Star late Puneeth Rajkumar sir, whom I met during one of the muhurats of my film, had appreciated my work. He had discussed a probable project,” she recalled.
Kushee Ravi with her daughter. (iamkusheereaviofficial/Facebook)
“When great filmmakers and legends appreciate works, it only adds to my responsibility. I strive hard to do my best hoping that it proves better results,” Kushee sported a big smile.
On the recent popular films such as KGF and Kantara, which made the Indian audience sit up and take notice of the Kannada film industry, Kushee observed that though the industry kept producing quality content, the recent trend has been welcoming.
“Earlier, when cine-goers talked about the South film industry, it would either be Tamil, Telugu or Malayalam. But lately, Kannada films made good inroads in many departments. It is always a great feeling to be recognised for performance and technical skills,” she signed off.
